Things that came to my mind after finishing Private India? Engrossing? Extremely. Can be made into a Bollywood movie? Definitely!

‘Private India’ is the fruition of the collaboration between Ashwin Sanghi, an Indian author known for combining mythology and thriller, and James Patterson, an American author known for bestseller series’ of which ‘Private’ is one. Their unique collaboration results in bringing the popular ‘Private’ series to India. So, it naturally raises the curiosity and interest in the book.

What is Erotica? According to Merriam Webster it is defined as :works of art or literature that deal with sex and are meant to cause sexual feelings”. Yes, Sita’s Curse, in that respect is truly an erotica and ONLY an erotica.

Somewhere, behind closed doors, in her solitary world; somewhere, under the sheets with an indifferent lover; Somewhere, is a woman who will not be denied.

As I walked past the trees and shrubs, the enchanting full moon staring at me, what I really wanted was some moment of solitude. On the contrary, the screeching and screaming of the unending vehicles passing by me were creating an undesirable ambiance, much to my irritation.

All of a sudden, I found myself completely alone in the company of darkness and silence. With the bright and glorious moonlight kissing and enveloping the whole milieu, the atmosphere was nothing less than an enigma. The eerie feeling which is synonymous to darkness and silence was nowhere to be found! The brief encounter with complete darkness and silence lasted for only a few seconds. It amused me how two negative aspects like the dark and the silent can create an amazingly positive environment for me – where only me, myself and my string of thoughts existed. For a long long time, I never felt so satiated and so relaxed with my thoughts getting a coherent shape. Alas the sheer ecstasy was not long-lasting – the zooming past of the vehicles again thumped me back to the world of loud sounds and eye squirming lights.

Farmer suicides in India, especially in certain districts of Maharashtra have seen a steep rise in the last decade.’ Shoes of the Dead’ by Kota Neelima is a tribute to all those dead farmers and the people fighting for their families to receive compensation. Non-fiction works related to farmer suicides abound, however a fictional work talking about the plight of the Indian farmers, due to varied reasons, was missing from the scenario. It was really great to finally find a political novel based on farmer suicides, set up in contemporary India.

This political book intertwines several aspects of socio-economic India through the eyes of an idealistic journalist, an ambitious young politician and an educated yet poverty- ridden farmer seeking justice for his brother’s suicide. In the midst of the tug-of-war between Keyur Kashinath, the young and rich politician and Gangiri Bhadra, the crusader of the farmers, there are characters like a greedy moneylender, a seemingly good district collector, unscrupulous middle men, a good and a bad maha sarpanch who plays important roles in Gangiri’s fight for justice.

Right to equality is the most sought after right for each and every person and segment of the society. However, day-in and day-out we are witness to myriad incidents and cases wherein people make a complete mockery of the right. There was a time when a girl demanding equal rights like her male counterparts was seen with hard and skeptical glances. It is heartening that things have actually changed for the better and girls are now able to enjoy their lives like never before.

I grew up in a middle-class family which has three male members. I definitely had my share of unnerving emotional outbursts wherein I used to feel that my brothers are given more freedom and independence than me. Being the youngest I used to feel that my brothers were given undue importance. However, with passing time and experience, I understood that I was treated at par with them and there was no bias in the household. It was those three male members of my family, my father and my two elder brothers who, with their innumerable contributions have actually become the soldiers of my life.

Criticism is something which has always fascinated me. I have read many a times that constructive criticism is good and have seen people claiming that they are fine with criticism. However, like everything else, it is easier said than done. To be very frank, there have been quite a number of times when I abhorred the person who criticized me. I am sure it has happened with majority of the people, at some point.

R.I.P. The Resurgent Indian Patriots by Mukul Deva is one helluva ride for its readers with the main protagonist along with his associates acting as vigilantes in order to stop the corrupt culprits rocking and on the verge of destroying the nation. Right from the cover picture to the end of the story one can enjoy a dramatic and pulse-pounding experience while reading the book. A thrilling ambiance is perfectly created in the very first chapter of the story with three immaculately planned murders taking place simultaneously at three different parts of the country. From there, I can assure you it will be a pulsating journey for the readers. R.I.P. talks about the self-appointed vigilante group K-Team headed by Colonel Krishna Athawale. He and his team of five other Special Forces Officers have deadly plans to free the country of the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. Being an ex-army man, Krishna and his teammates are incredible in handling complex and deadly plans with ease. Raghav Bhagat, another ex-army personnel, having personal issues with Krishna is the gun for hire, hell-bent on stopping the K-Team. The Special Director of CBI, Vinod Bedi is caught between the crossfire, though with the same intention of halting the plan of action of the K-Team. Along with these characters, there are few other characters like the glamorous news anchor Reena Bhagat and two young boys Sachin and Azaan, who play important roles in taking forward the story.

It’s been a long time when I had the spare time to read a book. It was known that motherhood comes with a lot of responsibilities, however the presence of the word “never-ending” was unknown to me. While leading a monotonous life, I chanced upon the offer to review Tick-tock We’re 30 by Womenweb. After going through the brief, it seemed to me that the book is the just the one I was looking for at the present moment – a light-hearted, easy-to-read chick lit.

The story revolves around Lara Bagai and her set of friends. They all are attending the reunion during Lara’s upcoming 30th birthday. It is the story of a weeks’ time wherein a lot of changes happen in all those people’s lives. Lara and Nishad, one of the SN gang members coming for the reunion, made a pact in a drunken state a decade ago to get married in case neither of them gets a suitable partner by the time they turned thirty. The main story is built on this very pact, along with the various sub-plots of the other gang members.

Mythology and thriller when put together make for an interesting read. However, I have rarely seen Indian authors delving into this genre. Writing a thriller set agaist the backdrop of Indian mythology is no mean task. It takes a lot of research and understanding of the subject before finally writing the story. A big applause to Ashwin Sanghi for not being one of those authors who are only comfortable in the tried-and-tested genres, specially the very similar coming-of-the-age stories with sachharine sweet happy endings.

Ashwin Sanghi must have read Dan Brown’s ‘Angels and Demons’ and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ numerous times as his book ‘The Krishna Key’ resembles them to a great extent. Be it the plot or the writing style, one cannot miss the similarities of the book with those of Dan Brown’s bestsellers. The book deals with the tenth avatar of Vishnu, Kalki. The story recounts the gruesome serial killing done by a man who considers himself as the Kalki avatar. The first of his victims was Prof. Anil Varshney, a noted historian and it was his friend Ravi Mohan Saini, another historian of repute who was wrongly charged for the murder. Saini with the help of his student and her father, follows a thrilling journey in order to prove his innocence.

The age of 60 is a milestone in many ways. One bids adieu to their professional life in order to witness, relish and enjoy things they have missed for years. In other words you can live your life to the fullest from the age of 60. On the flipside, with the ageing process knocking at the door, it is also the age when a lot of people grapples with what is referred as ‘old age’ health issues. Sexy@Sixty by Namita Jain is a book which will assist people attaining at the age of 60 to still live an exciting, active and beautiful life.

In this age of competition and pollution, we tend to forget to take care of our body as well as mind. Sexy@Sixty with the several health and wellness tips and advises is an honest attempt to make your life more meaningful. The main aim of the book is to inform you about the common health related issues and diseases, the severity of which can be reduced with a little bit of lifestyle and dietary changes. It starts with the chapter “Couch Potatoes”. It acts as an alarm for you to leave your sedentary lifestyle and make yourself more active for the betterment of your body and soul. The second chapter “Battle Against the Bulge” deals with the issue of putting on weight, the reasons behind being overweight and how to free yourself from the ugly bulges by undertaking a right diet and correct exercises. A general overview of various common ailments which might mar your well being like hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, menopause and arthritis are also discussed in the book. Along with the symptoms and the risks associated with the diseases, the book also talks about the various ways of dealing with them.